Listeners, is it perhaps the case that you ain't happy? And in fact, you're feeling sad? Well don't worry, because this week we do indeed have sunshine in a bag as we unpack the awesome animated super-band, Gorillaz! We talk Blur, the convoluted lore of these cartoon musicians, their own eras, eclectic music tastes, and more!

REAL WORLD RECS:
Brooke: Monopoly GO!
Ryan: 'The Bright Sword' by Lev Grossman

Follow our bluesky @nationofanimation, our Letterboxd @NationAnimation, and our Instagram and @cartoonbookclub, and follow our hosts
@thebrookesmith
and 
@ryanwithcheese on Twitter  
http://brookeerinsmith.com http://ryangstevens.com
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Support secret projects on Venmo @nationofanimation

BIG THANKS TO: Jacob Menke for our theme
Follow them @menkemaster
&
Urvashi Lele for our art
Learn more about Urvashi Lele's animations by visiting http://www.sirpeagreenstudios.com and follow their endeavors on instagram at @sirpeagreen and @maisonaudmi

We discuss Pixar's crowning achievement, WALL-E! It's about a little robot with big dreams, big robots with little empathy, and future space-baby people. We analyze the secret sauce that makes this movie so good: character designs, musicals, Real Human Being Fred Willard, and much more!

PLUS in this week's animation news, a special ad sponsor (not for us -- not yet!), a bizarre upcoming movie, and an, uhhh, *impassioned* plea for anime from one cartoon fan in Texas.

MOVIES DISCUSSED:
WALL-E (2008), dir. Andrew Stanton

REAL WORLD RECS
Brooke: Widow's Bay on Apple TV+
Ryan: The Backrooms, dir. Kane Parsons

Follow our bluesky @nationofanimation, our Letterboxd @NationAnimation, and our Instagram and @cartoonbookclub, and follow our hosts
@thebrookesmith
and 
@ryanwithcheese on Twitter  
http://brookeerinsmith.com http://ryangstevens.com
&
Support secret projects on Venmo @nationofanimation

BIG THANKS TO: Jacob Menke for our theme
Follow them @menkemaster
&
Urvashi Lele for our art
Learn more about Urvashi Lele's animations by visiting http://www.sirpeagreenstudios.com and follow their endeavors on instagram at @sirpeagreen and @maisonaudmi

It's the Return of the King! King of the Hill's second season (and 15th season overall) is here, so we finally discuss its miraculous resurrection from last year. How has the Hill family grown up? What has life had in store for our dear Bobby Hill? What the hell is Dale Gribble doing these days?

EPISODES DISCUSSED:
Season 14 Episode 1 - 'Return of the King'
Season 14 Episode 2 - 'The Beer Story'
Season 14 Episode 6 - 'Peggy's Fade-Out'
Season 14 Episode 9 - 'No Hanks Left Behind'

REAL WORDS RECS
Brooke: A BIG surprise!
Ryan: A RELATED surprise!

Follow our bluesky @nationofanimation, our Letterboxd @NationAnimation, and our Instagram and @cartoonbookclub, and follow our hosts
@thebrookesmith
and 
@ryanwithcheese on Twitter  
http://brookeerinsmith.com http://ryangstevens.com
&
Support secret projects on Venmo @nationofanimation

BIG THANKS TO: Jacob Menke for our theme
Follow them @menkemaster
&
Urvashi Lele for our art
Learn more about Urvashi Lele's animations by visiting http://www.sirpeagreenstudios.com and follow their endeavors on instagram at @sirpeagreen and @maisonaudmi

CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains discussion of mental illness, suicide, dementia, and online harassment of a trans woman. Listener discretion is advised.

Brooke and Ryan dive into the surprising rise and complex conclusion of the indie animation super-hit The Amazing Digital Circus. How did this show catch fire? And why can't fans just be normal about it? Also, did we enjoy the show? Is Ryan the Jax of the podcast? Listen and find out!

WE FORGOT TO DO REAL WORLD RECS, WE'RE SORRY ABOUT THAT, WE RECOMMEND THE AMAZING DIGITAL CIRCUS AND BEING NORMAL ON THE INTERNET

Follow our bluesky @nationofanimation, our Letterboxd @NationAnimation, and our Instagram and @cartoonbookclub, and follow our hosts
@thebrookesmith
and 
@ryanwithcheese on Twitter  
http://brookeerinsmith.com http://ryangstevens.com
&
Support secret projects on Venmo @nationofanimation

BIG THANKS TO: Jacob Menke for our theme
Follow them @menkemaster
&
Urvashi Lele for our art
Learn more about Urvashi Lele's animations by visiting http://www.sirpeagreenstudios.com and follow their endeavors on instagram at @sirpeagreen and @maisonaudmi

Just in time for the show's end, Ryan and Brooke tune into adult swim's latest adult animation darling, the anarchistic and internet-laced Smiling Friends! We talk animation style, changing senses of humor, the 00's internet, and whether it's better to burn out or fade-away, all while staying mostly on topic. You picked the BEST time to listen!

EPISODES DISCUSS:
S1 E6 - “Enchanted Forest”
S1 E 9 - “The Smiling Friends Go To Brazil!”
S2 E1 - “Gwimbly: Definitive Remastered Enhanced Extended Edition DX 4K (Anniversary Director's Cut)”
S3 E2 - “Le Voyage Incroyable de Monsieur Grenouille”

REAL WORLD RECS
Brooke: 'Red Comet: The Short Life and Blazing Art of Sylvia Plath' by Heather Clark

Ryan: Tasty Hand-Pulled Noodles II in Hell's Kitchen

Follow our bluesky @nationofanimation, our Letterboxd @NationAnimation, and our Instagram and @cartoonbookclub, and follow our hosts
@thebrookesmith
and 
@ryanwithcheese on Twitter  
http://brookeerinsmith.com http://ryangstevens.com
&
Support secret projects on Venmo @nationofanimation

BIG THANKS TO: Jacob Menke for our theme
Follow them @menkemaster
&
Urvashi Lele for our art
Learn more about Urvashi Lele's animations by visiting http://www.sirpeagreenstudios.com and follow their endeavors on instagram at @sirpeagreen and @maisonaudmi

It's Brooke's birthday, so she gets to pick the movie! She summons up a forgotten mainstay from the VHS players of a bygone era, Don Bluth's Thumbelina. We confront our dubious memories of this childhood favorite, investigate the fascinatin history of the man who would be the Anti-Disney, and consider if, by some strange twist of fate, this movie is actually "good." What does "good" mean in this context? You'll have to listen and find out!

Real World Recs:
Brooke - "Every Brilliant Thing" by Duncan Macmillan on Broadway, starring Daniel Radcliffe
Ryan - The Spectacular Spider-Man on DVD (and the spectacular Debora Strang and David Kepner!)

Follow our bluesky @nationofanimation, our Letterboxd @NationAnimation, and our Instagram and @cartoonbookclub, and follow our hosts
@thebrookesmith
and 
@ryanwithcheese on Twitter  
http://brookeerinsmith.com http://ryangstevens.com
&
Support secret projects on Venmo @nationofanimation

BIG THANKS TO: Jacob Menke for our theme
Follow them @menkemaster
&
Urvashi Lele for our art
Learn more about Urvashi Lele's animations by visiting http://www.sirpeagreenstudios.com and follow their endeavors on instagram at @sirpeagreen and @maisonaudmi

The minds behind Bojack Horseman and Tuca & Bertie are back on Netflix with their zaniest creation...an emotionally harrowing portrait of family across the years? And we're sure this is a comedy? Ok, if you say so! This week, we dive into Long Story Short, talk religion, family, time travel, and when we were our most interesting!

Episodes discussed:
Ep 4 - “Shira Can’t Cook”
Ep 6 - “Wolves”
Ep 7 - “Kendra’s Job”
Ep 9 - “Honoring Naomi Schwartz”

REAL WORLD RECS
Ryan - Marshmallow Peeps
Brooke - 'Heart the Lover' by Lily King

Follow our bluesky @nationofanimation, our Letterboxd @NationAnimation, and our Instagram and @cartoonbookclub, and follow our hosts
@thebrookesmith
and 
@ryanwithcheese on Twitter  
http://brookeerinsmith.com http://ryangstevens.com
&
Support secret projects on Venmo @nationofanimation

BIG THANKS TO: Jacob Menke for our theme
Follow them @menkemaster
&
Urvashi Lele for our art
Learn more about Urvashi Lele's animations by visiting http://www.sirpeagreenstudios.com and follow their endeavors on instagram at @sirpeagreen and @maisonaudmi

It's Oscar Season once again, and you know what that means -- a ton of movies, both long and short. What are our favs? What has the best odds to win? What was going on this year? Do animated movies still have that magic?

FILMS WE WATCHED:

FEATURES:
Elio
Directed by Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, and Adrian Molina
Written by Julia Cho, Mark Hammer, and Mike Jones

KPop Demon Hunters
Co-written and directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans

Arco
Directed by Ugo Bienvenu
Written by ugo Bienvenu and Félix de Givry

Zootopia 2
Directed by Jared Bush and Byron Howard
Written by Jared Bush

Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
Directed by Maïlys Vallade and Liane-Cho Han
Written by Liane-Cho Han

SHORTS
Butterfly
Florence Miailhe and Ron Dyens

Forevergreen
Nathan Engelhardt and Jeremy Spears

The Girl Who Cried Pearls
Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski

Retirement Plan
John Kelly and Andrew Freedman

The Three Sisters
Konstantin Bronzit



REAL WORLD RECS:
Ryan - Pokopia for Nintendo Switch 2
Brooke - Mary O's Soda Bread in NYC

Follow our bluesky @nationofanimation, our Letterboxd @NationAnimation, and our Instagram and @cartoonbookclub, and follow our hosts
@thebrookesmith
and 
@ryanwithcheese on Twitter  
http://brookeerinsmith.com http://ryangstevens.com
&
Support secret projects on Venmo @nationofanimation

BIG THANKS TO: Jacob Menke for our theme
Follow them @menkemaster
&
Urvashi Lele for our art
Learn more about Urvashi Lele's animations by visiting http://www.sirpeagreenstudios.com and follow their endeavors on instagram at @sirpeagreen and @maisonaudmi

We pull together the disparate parts that make a podcast and talk about Adult Swim’s alchemical new special, The Elephant! What is it? What makes it special? What kind of animation A-team put it together?
 
Then, we take a long look at what Disney might do to pull out of their creative slump, and how their past might indicate their future. The vengeful spirit of Walt still lingers!

ChelseaChats’ TikTok Video
 
REAL WORLD RECS
Ryan: A professional massage
Brooke: Niall Breen (@niall.breen.comics on Instagram)

Follow our bluesky @nationofanimation, our Letterboxd @NationAnimation, and our Instagram and @cartoonbookclub, and follow our hosts
@thebrookesmith
and 
@ryanwithcheese on Twitter  
http://brookeerinsmith.com http://ryangstevens.com
&
Support secret projects on Venmo @nationofanimation

BIG THANKS TO: Jacob Menke for our theme
Follow them @menkemaster
&
Urvashi Lele for our art
Learn more about Urvashi Lele's animations by visiting http://www.sirpeagreenstudios.com and follow their endeavors on instagram at @sirpeagreen and @maisonaudmi

Get yourself a heaping plate of podcast! We talk about Delicious in Dungeon, the anime smash hit that has us going back for seconds. Will Brooke like this anime? What is the tastiest monster in the land? What video games do the best manga writers play? All these questions and more are on the menu in this week's Nation of Animation!

EPISODES DISCUSSED:
Ep 4 - “Stewed Cabbage/Orcs”
Ep 8 - "Raspberries / Grilled Meat"
Ep 12 - "Red Dragon II"
Ep 22 - “Griffin / Familiars”

REAL WORLD RECS
Brooke: Pupsicle Dog Toys
Ryan: Hobonichi Weekly Planners

Follow our bluesky @nationofanimation, our Letterboxd @NationAnimation, and our Instagram and @cartoonbookclub, and follow our hosts
@thebrookesmith
and 
@ryanwithcheese on Twitter  
http://brookeerinsmith.com http://ryangstevens.com
&
Support secret projects on Venmo @nationofanimation

BIG THANKS TO: Jacob Menke for our theme
Follow them @menkemaster
&
Urvashi Lele for our art
Learn more about Urvashi Lele's animations by visiting http://www.sirpeagreenstudios.com and follow their endeavors on instagram at @sirpeagreen and @maisonaudmi